The Kings left Las Vegas with another gut punch, falling 2-1 in overtime to the Golden Knights on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena and dropping their fourth straight to open the 2026-27 season.
It had the feel of a game that could swing on one mistake, and that’s exactly what happened. After a scoreless first period, Vegas struck first early in the second on its opening power play of the night. The puck moved from Mitch Marner at the point to Mark Stone at the goal line, then across the slot to Trevor Connolly, who finished at the back post for his second goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
The Kings answered almost immediately. Less than four minutes after Vegas opened the scoring, Adrian Kempe found Artemi Panarin in the slot on the power play.
Panarin held, changed the shooting angle and ripped a wrist shot off the post and in past Carter Hart to tie it 1-1. It was his third goal of the season.
From there, the third period stayed scoreless, and the night rolled into overtime for the second time in four games. That’s where the break went Vegas’ way. Scott Laughton took a tripping minor midway through the extra session, giving the Golden Knights a power play, and Marner buried the winner from the center point shortly after.
Afterward, both Kempe and head coach Peter Laviolette pointed to the same issue: the Kings were hurt by a second-period dip and a power play that didn’t do enough in the biggest moment.
“Tough. Frustrating.
I think overall the game, I think the first and the third period was pretty good from our side. The second period was a little dip, I think they came back and took over the game.
Pretty evenly fought game. Really frustrating in not coming out with two points, for sure.”
Kempe also didn’t sugarcoat the special teams work.
“5-on-4 was good, 5-on-3 not good enough, unacceptable in my opinion. Second time we had a 5-on-3 this season.
We’ve got to dial it in, move the puck more and get some shots on net. Those are basic things, but something we’ve got to do.”
Laviolette’s read was similar. He said the Kings did enough to put themselves in position to win, but the second period left too much room for Vegas to push back.
“Frustrating. Just again, we’re in a game down the stretch and not to walk away with two points is tough. So, I think frustrating more than anything else.”
He added that the response after the second was encouraging, even if the result wasn’t.
“Yeah, coming back and getting that power play goal to make it 1-1, I thought was big. It wasn’t our best period.
I thought we were really good in the first, good in the third and even had looks in overtime where we could have won it and just it didn’t happen. That drop off in the second, I’m not happy with, but the response in the third I am.”
Laviolette also said the Kings need faster puck movement and a more aggressive approach on the power play, especially after Vegas scored with the man advantage and LA answered in kind.
“I think we need a little quicker movement, more of a shot mentality on that 5-on-3. Again, they come back and in a period that wasn’t going our way, they end up scoring a power-play goal, we’re able to come back with a power play goal and combat that.
Like I said, it’s 1-1 deep into the game. Those are the games we have to come out with a win.
That’s why it’s a little bit frustrating.”
Darcy Kuemper also drew praise from his coach, with Laviolette noting, “I mean he played well, so you need that. We’re not scoring by the bunches right now. I think we will eventually get some goals here, but they’ve been hard to come by and it’s good to get the saves.”
There were a few notable numbers attached to the night. Panarin has now scored in three straight road games dating back to the season opener in Colorado on Sep.
- His goal also stretched his point streak against Vegas to six games, giving him 22 points in 15 career games against the Golden Knights.
Kempe picked up his second assist and third point of the season on Panarin’s tying goal. Brandt Clarke added his third assist of the campaign, while Drew Doughty skated in his 1,283rd career regular-season game, tying Ken Daneyko for the 23rd-most games played by a defenseman in NHL history.
Laviolette coached his 1,598th career game, tying Ken Hitchcock for the eighth-most games coached in NHL history.
The Kings are scheduled to practice Sunday at noon at Toyota Sports Performance Center.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Just Got Another Reason To Watch This Reign Group
The Ontario Reign gave Kings followers another look at the organizations prospect pipeline Saturday night, rallying for a 3-2 overtime win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena. Carter George steadied the Reign with 15 saves, while Victor stman faced a heavy workload for Coachella Valley and finished with 36 stops in a game that swung after a slow start for Ontario.
Cole Guttman supplied the finish in overtime, capping a comeback that started after the Reign fell behind 2-0 early in the second period. For a Kings system that leans on the Reign to develop depth and keep young talent in a meaningful environment, it was the kind of road result that usually gets noticed well beyond the AHL box score. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Homestand Puts Early Pressure On A Lineup Still Searching Fit
The early-season bump has come quickly for the Kings, who are trying to sort out their game while the results have not come with it. Defensive-zone coverage remains a point of emphasis, the offense is still working toward real chemistry, and the special teams have yet to look settled in the way this group needs if it is going to steady itself in a hurry.
This weeks homestand adds some immediate pressure, with Edmonton and Boston coming to town in the Oct. 12-18 stretch. The challenge is not just finding a spark, but making the tactical tweaks stick, especially in the neutral zone and on the power play, while a new top-line piece continues to be folded into the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Frustration Is Growing For One Very Familiar Reason
The first week of the season has already started to feel uncomfortably familiar for the Kings, who are staring at an 0-4 start after four games that have repeatedly hinged on a chance here or a finish there. Three of those losses were close enough to leave real regret, because Los Angeles had stretches where it did enough to put itself in position to grab points but could not turn those moments into a breakthrough.
Adrian Kempe and others have not hidden their irritation with how those opportunities have slipped away, especially on the man advantage, where the Kings have had chances to swing tight games and come up empty. The frustration is less about a lack of effort than a growing sense that the same missed opening keeps appearing, and until that changes, the strong moments this team has shown will keep feeling like footnotes. [Read more 🡒]